Just as the fury toward the Crown Prince was building to a proper boil, I began to settle down.
Right. The Crown Prince was something to deal with later, in person. For now, what was immediately in front of me needed to be addressed first.
Which meant that Axel now understood, as well, that everything had been a misunderstanding.
I wiped the tears from my eyes and reached out, grabbing Axel’s arm. His body gave a faint involuntary shiver.
“So — you truly believe me now? That it was all a misunderstanding?”
“Yes. I believe all of it. Lady Melberine.”
The moment I heard those words, I threw my arms around him.
It was a hug given without permission or warning, but whether from guilt or some other feeling, Axel could not bring himself to push me away. He only stiffened, going rigid in place.
Still holding on, I asked carefully:
“…So our contract is back to what it was? You’re not dissolving it?”
“…Yes. So stop crying.”
The awkward hand that had been hovering in the air found my back and began to pat it gently. When Axel shifted slightly as though to check my condition, I held on tighter.
I was not going to let a rare opportunity like this slip away. He had put me through enough — he could endure at least this much in return.
That was only fair.
The misunderstanding being resolved did not make the unkind words he had said to me disappear. I intended to collect every bit of what I was owed.
Still apparently thinking I was crying, Axel’s restless, anxious voice came:
“I… I’m sorry. I was wrong. Please stop crying. All right?”
His voice had an uncharacteristic softness to it.
I cleared my throat and spoke.
“I kept saying it wasn’t true… and you wouldn’t believe me…”
“…I have no defense on that count.”
I brought a lightly closed fist down against his chest. A soft thud.
“Apologize to me. Say you’re sorry for misunderstanding, and sorry for saying unkind things.”
“…I’m sorry. For jumping to my own conclusions and causing you pain. I am sincerely sorry.”
His voice wavered slightly — genuine in a way that came through clearly.
After holding on for a long moment, I finally lifted my head and pulled back from his arms.
“I’ll accept the apology, Your Highness. And I’ll forgive you. But promise me this one thing — whatever happens, you’ll hear my side first and believe me.”
“…There won’t be a next time. I promise.”
From the moment our eyes met, Axel’s gaze hadn’t moved from mine. He lifted one hand and brushed his fingers gently along the swollen skin around my eyes.
I looked at him in a mild daze.
A moment later, as though realizing what he had done, he appeared to startle himself. And the distance between us had, it turned out, grown rather close.
Axel moved to take a step back — and I caught his arm.
“Why are you avoiding me?”
“I’m not avoiding you, I’m just—”
“You’re lying. One more step back and I’m counting it as avoiding me.”
Thoroughly flustered, Axel stood completely still and bit down on his lip. Something that sounded almost like a sigh escaped.
“…We’re too close.”
I glanced briefly between us with an expression that said so?
He was right that it was close — but there was nothing inherently problematic about it. It wasn’t as though we were overlapping. He wasn’t getting out of this that easily.
“I like being this close. I can see you properly right in front of me.”
And as I said it, I leaned in just slightly. He pulled his head back by exactly the same amount.
…Excuse me?
I found the precise, reliable retreat mildly irritating — but decided to let it go just this once. Today needed to end well. It was the momentous day the misunderstanding had finally been resolved.
Rather than press forward, I reached out and took his wrist in both hands. I brought his hand gently to my cheek and looked straight into his eyes.
The dark eyes I had wanted to face properly — right there, right in front of me — filled me with a wordless joy I didn’t have a name for. The corners of my eyes curved warmly.
“I missed you. Your Highness.”
I was curious what he would say — but before the curiosity had fully formed, Axel pulled his hand away as though burned.
The speed was such that the absence of warmth registered before I’d consciously noticed his hand was gone.
Tch. Not this either?
I had been trying to press forward while he was in this uncharacteristically pliant mood, and had been blocked with surgical precision. On top of that, Axel had turned his head completely away. I had no idea what his expression looked like — only that the back of his neck had gone distinctly pink.
There’s plenty of time!
No need to rush.
Before he could say anything, I took one step back on my own.
A little time passed, and at last Axel turned back to face me — and asked an unexpected question, eyes slightly unsteady.
“…Is it true that you don’t remember anything?”
“Remember? What do you mean?”
“That evening. At the banquet.”
Mid-head-tilt, I froze at the word banquet.
What on earth did I do—
Whatever the reason he was asking again, I clearly needed to insist with everything I had that I remembered nothing.
“Y-yes… because of the a-alcohol, my memory isn’t quite…”
I let my eyes drift aside slightly as I answered, and he followed up immediately.
“You said it was your first time drinking that evening, Lady Melberine.”
“Hm? Yes.”
Axel had been studying me steadily. He parted his lips, as though reaching for something — there was an unmistakable tension in him.
“…Would it be all right if I asked who you were drinking with?”
“…Oh. With Lady Isabel. We met for the first time at the banquet that night.”
At the name — not entirely unfamiliar to him — Axel’s brow furrowed faintly, and then he said ah as though the connection had been made.
I couldn’t read what he was thinking. But feeling increasingly incriminated by my own conscience, I said something I absolutely did not need to say.
“Was it perhaps… that I behaved rudely toward you that evening, Your Highness…?”
I’d had the perfect opportunity to let it pass, and I had squandered it by bringing it up again —
Scrambling to recover, I let my eyebrows drop and arranged a pitiful expression.
But Axel was looking at me with his lip pressed firmly between his teeth — an expression that looked, distinctly, like someone who had been wronged.
Wronged?
The question formed — and then his lips opened.
“Going forward.”
Going forward?
“…It might be best to stay away from alcohol.”
Without elaboration, without a long explanation — just those few words, delivered plainly — and somehow they landed deeper than anything else he could have said. My shoulders gave a small involuntary twitch.
“That — yes. I wasn’t planning to drink again anyway. It didn’t agree with me.”
Ha…
An awkward laugh. And then eyes full of skepticism turned toward me. An expression that said he didn’t believe that for a second.
If he doesn’t believe that, what am I supposed to say?
“Or — or else… only when I’m with Your Highness…?”
Out of flustered desperation, I had said the first thing that came out.
Obviously he’ll refuse. What kind of thing was that to say—
I moved to correct myself immediately — and Axel answered without hesitation.
“That would be fine, actually.”
With the tension released, we talked easily for a long time after that — conversation flowing between one thing and another. Axel didn’t leave until the evening was nearly over.
I had wanted to invite him to stay for dinner, but Father was watching, and I couldn’t quite bring myself to do it — he had been in a state of high alert from the moment he heard Axel had come.
After dinner, lying back in bed, I found helpless laughter escaping me in small bursts. Unable to contain it, I buried my face in the pillow and pounded it with my fist.
“Everything worked out. It actually worked out! Now I can finally live my happy fan life!”
How wonderful was this?
The joy simply could not be kept in.
All the problems that had been plaguing me were resolved. Nothing could stop me now.
I thought of Axel, and the determination reignited. I squeezed my fist and let my eyes flash open.
I’m going to make him fall for me, no matter what it takes!
Just you wait!
The next time I saw Axel was not at his office — it was at a dressmaker’s studio. The very Artzen atelier that had been the starting point of all the misunderstandings.
The reason for coming was simple.
I still hadn’t picked up the outfits I had ordered from the Madame…!
I had been too distracted during all the chaos to cancel them, and they had simply sat there, untouched — but thank goodness I hadn’t canceled, it turned out.
The thought of putting those clothes on Axel made my heart beat quickly already.
“Grand Duke Valentione and Lady Melberine — it is a great honor to have you both visit Artzen. We will make your time here as comfortable as possible. Please, right this way.”
Madame Heclaine greeted both of us with refined formality. We followed her lead and stepped inside.
Once we were in, the Madame came close to me.
“The outfits you had custom-made are all prepared, my lady. Shall I bring them out?”
“Yes, please.”
At that — with a short gesture from the Madame to her staff — clothing racks began gliding out on either side of her, one after another, in a long procession.
